This week marked the twenty-third anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, adding further stress on a Chinese government already facing tense relations with Tibet, the Middle East, and the United States.

Top Stories for the week of June 8, 2012 for the People’s Republic of China

Twenty-third anniversary of Tiananmen met by vigil in Hong Kong, censorship in China

The twenty-third anniversary of the June 4, 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, in which hundreds of pro-democracy student protestors were killed by Chinese forces, was met with increased censorship and police activity on the mainland and a massive vigil in Hong Kong. The candlelight vigil in Hong Kong drew tens of thousands of people to Victoria Park, one of the largest gatherings in Hong Kong since 1989. Meanwhile, authorities in Beijing called for “wartime systems and protective measures,” pre-emptively arresting many rights activists and blocking a wide range of words on the Chinese web, including “June 4,” “Tiananmen,” “square,” “candle,” and even more common words such as “today” and “yesterday.” The list of banned words was widened to include “stock market” and “benchmark Shanghai Composite Index” after the Shanghai stock market fell 64.89 points, a number that could be broken down to represent the date of the massacre, 6/4/89. Chinese internet users found ways to circumvent these censorship measures, such as quoting a ninth-century poem that reads “A candle’s tears do not dry until it has burned down to ash,” or posting a photo of a single candle with the words “You understand.” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin rejected the U.S. State Department’s June 3 statement calling for an end to the harassment and imprisonment for Tiananmen Square participants, calling it a “groundless accusation.” In China, the Tiananmen Square massacre is officially referred to as a “counter-revolutionary rebellion.”. (Wall Street Journal, BBC, June 4; Washington Post, June 5)

China closes Tibet to foreign visitors

Chinese authorities announced on June 5 that they would no longer issue entry permits to Tibet, this decision follows the first recorded self-immolation in the capital city of Lhasa. The ban also coincides with the month-long Buddhist festival of Saga Dawa, which has historically been a peak tourism season for Tibet. The travel ban appears to be in response to the months of heightened unrest leading up to the most recent self-immolations and will result in a significant loss of income for Tibetan communities, where tourism is a staple of the region’s economy. The ban follows the June 4 resignation of two Tibetan envoys representing the Dalai Lama, who cite Beijing’s unwillingness to cooperate and the deteriorating situation inside Tibet as the reasons for their resignation. (VOA, June 4; ABC, June 7)

Russia, China issue statements about Syria, Afghanistan

On June 5, Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated their strong opposition to international intervention in Syria and their support for U.N. envoy Kofi Annan’s peace plan, followed by a statement on June 6 expressing their desire to play a bigger role in Afghanistan. Putin is in Beijing attending a summit for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a group of central Asian nations including China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, with other nations such as Iran, India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan acting as observing, but not voting, members. The group has pledged to become more involved in Afghanistan, but emphasized this involvement would not include military action. China is especially interested in developing a positive relationship with Afghanistan in order to prevent Uighur independence groups in China’s Xinjiang province, especially the East Turkmenistan Independence Movement, from finding support in Afghanistan. (Reuters, June 5; Christian Science Monitor, CNN, June 6)

China responds to US’s “pivot to Asia”

On June 4, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin responded to an announced increase in America’s naval presence in the Asia-Pacific region, expressing China’s hope that the US will respect Beijing’s regional interests and play a constructive role in the area.  Liu’s statement came in response to U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s announcement on June 2 that the US will increase its percent of battleships in the Pacific from 50% to 60% by 2020 and station as many as six aircraft carriers in the region. The response follows a June 2 commentary published on Xinhua that warned the U.S. against “making waves” in the South China Sea, and PLA Lieutenant General Ren Haiquan’s statement on June 3 that China would intensify its vigilance in response to US’s increased presence. China claims that all of the South China Sea belongs to China, despite claims to parts of the area by Taiwan, Brunei, Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Panetta denies the US’s increased presence is designed to contain China’s growing global power.(Reuters, June 2; Times of India, June 3; Reuters, June 4)

Chinese dissident found dead, relatives suspect foul play

Ailing Chinese labor activist Li Wangyang was found dead in his hospital room on June 6, one year after his release from a prison sentence that lasted  two decades. Li, who was sentenced to 13 years for his role in the 1989 Tiananmen protests and sentenced to an additional 10 years in 2001  for “disturbing social stability,” appears to have committed suicide by hanging himself in his hospital room. However, Li’s family is skeptical about his death, noting he had previously shown no signs of depression and that his weakened condition would make such a method of suicide nearly impossible. He was found hanging from the security bars above his window, although his feet remained on the ground, throwing further suspicion on the possibility of suicide. The Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights in China released a statement saying, “We cannot rule out that security guards monitoring him tortured him to death and faked a suicide.” In an interview for a French radio network that aired on June 3, Li called on the “whole nation to observe June 4.” Some rights activists are concerned his death might have come as retaliation for the interview. (BBC, LA Times, June 6)

Google introduces new features aimed against state-sponsored hackers

Google announced a new feature on June 6 that is designed to warn Gmail of “state-sponsored attacks.” While Google did not name China specifically, Google Inc. had been of the victim of alleged Chinese cyberattacks in 2010, and many China-based Gmail users have already reported receiving a warning, which reads, “Warning: We believe state-sponsored attackers may be trying to compromise your account or computer.” The announcement comes days after Google began alerting users in mainland China when they typed a search term that is likely to be blocked. In both announcements Google was careful not to specifically mention the Chinese government, instead referring to “error messages,” “temporary disconnections,” and unspecified “state governments.” (Washington Post, Voice of America, June 6)

China objects to foreign air quality monitoring

Chinese deputy minister of Environmental Protection Wu Xiaoqing issued a statement on June 5 asserting that only the Chinese government has the authority to publish air pollution data, a remark aimed at the US Embassy, which has a monitoring station on its roof and posts hourly updates online. Wu stated that the actions of “some foreign embassies and consulates” violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the Vienna Convention on Consular Regulations, and Chinese environmental protection regulations. The position was reiterated on June 6 by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin, who added that the online reports violate Chinese laws. US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the reports are intended as a resource for embassy staff members and other Americans in China, and do not violate either Chinese laws or the Vienna Convention. Toner stated that US Embassies in China would continue to release the readings and invited Chinese Embassies in the United States to publish air pollution indexes for American cities, an idea quickly dismissed by Liu. (Reuters, CNN, June 6)